Physicians for Human Rights Gala 2015

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) was excited to host our first annual New York City gala in April 2015 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. At the event, we honored George Soros, philanthropist, financier, and founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder and medical director of Panzi hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and champion in the fight against rape as a weapon of war.

PHR was thrilled to have Stephen Rapp, then Ambassador-at-Large heading the Office of Global Criminal Justice at the U.S. State Department, present the award to Dr. Mukwege, and global leader in palliative care, Dr. Kathleen Foley, present to Mr. Soros.

The gala, chaired by PHR board member Dr. Donna Shelley, was attended by some 350 distinguished guests, including leaders from the philanthropic, public health, and medical communities. They were joined by Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky, media magnate Mortimer Zuckerman, author and LGBT activist Andrew Solomon, and playwright Lynn Nottage, among others.

Thanks to generous underwriting by an anonymous family foundation, 100 percent of the $900,000 raised at the gala was allocated toward PHR’s programmatic work. We are grateful for the many supporters that made this event a success.